International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN (P): 2250-0057; ISSN (E): 2321-0087
Vol. 9, Issue 4, Aug 2019, 143-148
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

AN IMPACT OF TRAINING ON KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF PARTICIPANTS

OF FARMER’S PRODUCER COMPANIES

BALAMOHAN, T. N1, R. VELUSAMY2, S. D. SIVAKUMAR3 & M. PRAGADEESWARAN4

1
Professor and Head, Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College and Research Institute
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
2
Associate Professor (Agricultural Extension) Department of Agricultural Extension & Rural Sociology,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
3
Director (Agricultural Business Development) TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
4
Assistant Professor (Agricultural Economics), Department of Agricultural Economics, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
ABSTRACT

The Indian market environment changed over the years and leads to difficulties for small farmers in selling their
produce. In Tamil Nadu the number of farmer’s producer companies is increasing every year. Assessing their knowledge
level in their mandate crops and providing training based on their level of knowledge is very important. Keeping this in

Original Article
view the study was conducted to assess the impact of training in their knowledge level. The training was given to sixty one
members of Farmer’s Producer Organizations in vegetable cultivation and FPO activities. The knowledge level in
vegetable cultivation and FPO related activities were measured before and after the training and impact was measured in
terms of knowledge gain due to training. Results revealed that one fifth of FPO participants had gained knowledge in the
recommended vegetable cultivation techniques. Regarding vegetable cultivation through precision farming nearly half of
the participants had gained knowledge about vegetable cultivation through precision farming in the entire category of
completely known, somewhat known and little information. Regarding knowledge and management of records 27.87 per
cent of participants did not know before training and gained knowledge on these aspects.

KEYWORDS: FPO & Knowledge Level and Training

Received: Apr 27, 2019; Accepted: May 17, 2019; Published: Jun 26, 2019; Paper Id.: IJASRAUG201919

INTRODUCTION

The farmer producer company is basically a body corporate registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and
shall carry on or relate to activities of production, harvesting, processing, procurement, grading, handling,
marketing, selling, export of primary produce of the members or import of goods or services for their benefit.
Besides, rendering technical services, consultancy services, training, education, research and development and all
other activities for the promotion of the interests of its members, generation, transmission and distribution of power,
revitalization of land and water resources, their use, conservation and communications relatable to primary produce
and promoting mutual assistance, welfare measures, financial services, insurance of producers or their primary
produce. The year 2014 was observed as the year of farmer producer organisations (FPO) by the government of
India.

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144 Balamohan, T. N, R. Velusamy, S. D. Sivakumar & M. Pragadeeswaran

The Indian market environment changed over the years and leads to difficulties for small farmers in selling their
produce. Along with changing consumer demands, new corporate actors are entering Indian agro food networks, such as
corporate retailers, processors, or exporters of quality produce. These firms are often aiming to execute vertical
coordination in their supply chains, which ensures them greater control over the production processes and thus to source
produce which meets their strict requirements and standards (Barghouti et al, 2004). Within the frame of vertical
coordination, links between farmers and buyers are becoming tighter to replace conventional open-market relations
(Humphrey and Memedovic, 2006). This type of procurement organization is also the result of the changing national policy
orientation in India, following somewhat neo-liberal tendencies, which is also affecting agriculture and trade (Landes,
2008; Pitale, 2007).

With the amendment of the Companies Act 1956 in 2002, the Indian government introduced the concept of
`producer companies', which constitute an attempt to establish basic business principles within farming communities, to
bring industry and agriculture closer together, and to boost rural development (Kumar Sharma, 2008). Producer companies
aim to integrate smallholders into modern supply networks to minimizing transaction and coordination costs, while
benefiting from economies of scale (Lanting, 2005).

In Tamil Nadu more than 300 farmer’s producer companies have emerged for various commodities in a fast
manner. Farmer’s producer companies are being registered in agricultural and horticultural crops. Both Central and State
government are supporting financially and technically for establishing farmer’s producer company. It is important to train
the members of Farmers Producers Company in their mandate crops and market oriented activities to perform their
business and effective functioning of farmer’s producer companies. Assessing their knowledge level in their mandate crops
and providing training based on their level of knowledge is very important. Keeping this in view, the study was conducted
to assess the impact of training in their knowledge level.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The training on Vegetable cultivation was given to 61 members of farmer’s Producer Company from thirty seven
FPOs on 25.09.2018 at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai. Interview schedule was constructed in the
techniques of vegetable cultivation and FPO related activities in consultation with vegetable scientist, extension
functionaries and expert in Farmers producer’s organizations. The knowledge level in vegetable cultivation and FPO
related activities were measured before conducting training. At the end of the training, the knowledge level of the
participants was measured in vegetable cultivation and FPO related activities and impact was measured in terms of
knowledge gain due to training.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The knowledge on vegetable cultivation and FPO activities were measured before conduct of training by well-
structured interview schedule and also at the end of training and the results are presented in Table 1.

It could be concluded from the table 1 that one fifth of FPO participants had gained knowledge in recommended
vegetable cultivation techniques. Ten per cent of participants did not know anything about vegetable cultivation before
attending the training and they gained knowledge about the recommended vegetable cultivation techniques.

Impact Factor (JCC): 6.1964 NAAS Rating: 4.13

An Impact of Training on Knowledge Level of Participants 145
of Farmer’s Producer Companies

Also 28.00 per cent participants had gained knowledge on vegetable marketing – supply chain techniques. They
also gained knowledge on market related information, rates in different markets and value added for vegetable in different
stages of marketing.

About vegetable cultivation through precision farming, 42.62 per cent of the participants had gained knowledge
about vegetable cultivation through precision farming in all the category of completely known, somewhat known and little
information. A meagre percentage of participants (6.56 %) had not gained knowledge about vegetable cultivation through
precision farming even after the training.

Nearly one third of (31.14 per cent) had gained complete knowledge about vegetable cultivation through green
house. Nearly one fifth of the participants (18.04 %) had not known about greenhouse technology before training and
gained complete knowledge through this training.

One tenth of (9.84 %) the participants did not know about pandal vegetable cultivation techniques before training
and gained complete knowledge about pandal vegetable cultivation techniques after the training. Nearly one third of
participants (31.15 %) had gained complete knowledge about pandal vegetable cultivation techniques.

Nearly one fourth (24.69 %) of respondents had gained complete knowledge about hill vegetable cultivation
techniques. Considerable portion of respondents (22.95 %) did not gain the hill vegetable cultivation techniques even after
attending the training. This showed the farmers did not show any interest in learning crops which were not common to
them.

Regarding the knowledge on opportunities for vegetable export and regulations, 27.87 percentages of participants
had gained knowledge at the end of the training. Nearly one fifth of farmers (19.67 %) did not gain any information related
to vegetable export and regulations even after attending the training.

Knowledge Gained in FPO Activities

The knowledge level in FPO related activates were measured before training and knowledge gained also measured
at the end of the training and the results are presented in the table 2.

Half of the respondents (47.54 %) had gained the knowledge on FPC starting and processing procedure. Nearly
one fourth of (22.95 %) participants did not know about the FPC starting and processing procedure before the training.
At the end of the training, all the participants did agree about the procedures for starting FPC starting and processing
procedure.

Majority of the respondents had gained knowledge about the business plan and future business plan. Considerable
changes were observed in the category from very little information to complete information.

Also it is observed from the table that only a meagre percentage (4.92 $) of participants had knowledge about
GST for FPO before training and nearly two fifth of respondents had gained knowledge on GST after the training.

Regarding knowledge and management of records 27.87 per cent of participants did not know before training and
gained knowledge on these aspects. Nearly half (44.27 per cent) of the respondents had little information before training
and gained complete information regarding the maintenance of records.

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146 Balamohan, T. N, R. Velusamy, S. D. Sivakumar & M. Pragadeeswaran

CONCLUSIONS

The study concludes that participants from Farmer’s producer organizations had gained knowledge in recent
technologies in production, value addition, value chain of products, maintenance of records, business plan and GST related
information. Participants did not learn the information in the area of non-interested subject like hill vegetable cultivation,
formation of FPO.

REFERENCES

1. Barghouti S, Kane S, Sorby K, Ali M, 2004, ``Agricultural diversification for the poor: guidelines for practitioners'',
Agriculture and Ru ral Development discussion paper, World Bank, Washington, DC

2. Humphrey J, Memedovic O, 2006, ``Global value chains in the agri food sector'', working paper, United Nations Industrial
Development Organization, Vienna

3. Kumar Sharma G, 2008,``Producer companies: facilitating producers to do business in a better way'',

http://www.irma.ac.in/others/network past issue. php?network issue id=84

4. Landes M, 2008,``The environment for agricultural and agribusiness investment in India'',

5. Lanting H, 2005, ``Building a farmer-own ed company and linking it to international fashion houses under fair-trade
arrangements'', paper presented at the International Conference on Engaging Communities, 14 ^ 17 August, Brisbane,
Queensland, http://www.engagingcommunities200 5.org/abstracts/S21-lanting-h.html

6. Pitale R L, 2007 India: R ich Agricultu re Poor Farmers (Daya Publishing House, New Delhi)

7. Meenakshi, V., & Pirabu, J. V. (2015). A scale to measure the attitude of rice farmers towards indigenous traditional
knowledge practices. International Journal of Agricultural Science and Research (IJASR), 5(4), 167-172.

APPENDIES

Table 1: Knowledge on Vegetable Cultivation before and after Training (n=61)

Impact Factor (JCC): 6.1964 NAAS Rating: 4.13

An Impact of Training on Knowledge Level of Participants 147
of Farmer’s Producer Companies

Table 2: Knowledge on FPO Activities before and after Training (n=61)

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